using relays in place of the headlight motor control module (Page 2/4)
fierosound FEB 06, 12:04 PM
Rob... good fix.

Let us know if there's any problems down the road.
You're the guinea pig and Beta Tester.

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 02-06-2020).]

Mickey_Moose FEB 06, 02:13 PM
Brand new repro headlight modules - and - NO they are not $300: https://www.corvettepacific...dlamp-control-88-96/

or you can try here if you don't like that link.

https://www.corvettecentral...ontrol-module-445117

...of course you can do whatever you like, but, generally people with the 1st gen motors hate the relay system and wish they had the 2nd gen system. lol

[This message has been edited by Mickey_Moose (edited 02-06-2020).]

theogre FEB 06, 05:30 PM

quote
Originally posted by fierosound:
Rob... good fix.

Let us know if there's any problems down the road.
You're the guinea pig and Beta Tester.

Not.
It will work but Is only a matter of time the motors break hitting EoT or jamming doing his way. Might take days to years depending on motors condition, how often used, and a lot more. Worse other will try too claiming that they work often to sell the car later to nubes think is normal .

Plus Manually control Gen2 motors w/ or w/o relay(s) can burn the contact close w/o warning then burn front wiring to the whole car because Doesn't even have limit switches and breaker built into Gen1 motors. Yes, they are Very crude but work well enough GM used that for 1 or 2 Decades before cost to make custom chips drop made Gen2 cheaper. (Likely same reason Lectron made GM "gen2" chime units w/ 1 custom chip about same time.) Relays in Gen1 setup mostly isolates power surges and amp draw to protect rest of car wiring.

Motors draw ~ 4a running... when stalled or switch(s) fried close will draw a lot more. The Fusible Links, B C & D, very likely Will Not blow before the motors and rest is melting or on fire. Cliff P burn out the "repaired" module and both motors and those links just laugh at the damage. He got lucky didn't burn the car and more.
If you install fuses then blows often or worse never causing same damage. How to you know? The module has 2 fuses marked F1 and F2 on the board and rarely blows when module fries like in same thread. Unlike a module given to me w/ a blown fuse after a front end wreck likely short out the wires to one motor. Wrong circuit breaker can to same thing and is only in Gen1 motors as backup for failed limit switch(es). (Failed limits are why Gen1 motor can kill the battery in hours. Breaker is auto reset w/ very short cycle timing.)

Motor die then what? If does have a fire when the motor die, He's likely to use Delrin pins etc. or replace w/ Cardone et al new ones that break again control by hand.
Having Delrin pins only guaranties you break the nylon gear or output shaft next time motor breaks. Finding a way to prop up a HL at night or bad weather is much worse then hand turning a motor to the up position. Far worse if you have health problems or on the highway.

Many can make "Arduino" MCU and some glue parts to do same job and w/ same features but not at ~ $150 for a complete unit sold at many "stores" like above.
Not even using china PC board makers to make enough money to have headache from fools think cost too much and other bs.
qwikgta FEB 06, 06:25 PM
You are really over thinking this. I push the up button and the headlights come up. I release the button when they are up. I turn on the light switch and lights come on. When I stop the car, I turn off the lights and then I push the down button and the headlights go down, I release the button when they are down.

Its not rocket science and your comments assume I am some kind of ****ing retard.

If the motors stop b/c something has gotten in the way, I would release the button, I would not keep it pressed down. Again, using common sense, you stop if something is wrong. I have to physically hold the button in either the up/down position for this to work, I can see the doors and hear the motors as they run.

Thank you for your input, and I believe you have made your point. We get it, you don't like to deviate from GM design, you never, ever have. Point made.

Thread ended.
Sledgehammer FEB 06, 09:55 PM
I am glad you came up with an alternate solution for the headlight problem. I too suffered tracking down the problem . After rebuilding both headlight assemblies, replacing the switch, replaced the fusible links, I too even tested the headlights with a 12 volt battery and they worked fine. In my case only one headlight wouldn’t work. So I read through all the threads here and got some good ideas, I read the service manual test procedure for one headlight not functioning. Sooo., it appeared obvious by now that the problem was the infamous “control module”. I bit the bullet and bought one for $150. Now I was prepared to see the light (LOL) I removedf the inner wheel well and there she was it would only be a few minute now and I will see these lights work. Well as I removed the module and unplugged the connectssr there it was a “broken” gray wire on the connector. I repaired the wire and decided to try using the original old control module. Bang! they worked perfectly. After a few expletives and a hard glare at my newly acquired control module I started to wonderHow could that wire break in half like that. I mean where this module resides on the inner fender nothing could get to it to cut the wire. Well, low and behold if one looks at the outside trim on the fender which as we all know is fastened with two sheet metal screws. One of those screws is in a position not far from the control module connector. My signal light trim was broken when I got the car and I replaced it. So what happed I believe is that the left fender was hit or push inwards to where the sharp screw tip cut through the wire. I really didn’t have far to move to contact the wire and the fender being fiber glass bounced back with no damage. Incredible !! So I have an extra control module with the correct part number called for in the Service manual.
I guess the moral to the story is “ sometimes the simple obvious is to hard to see or believe”. Had I removed the old module before I bought the new one I would have seen the wire and fixed it and not had to resort to the foul abusive vocabulary needed to regain my patience.
DavidM FEB 07, 10:46 AM
Personally, I like the relay solution - it gives back control and makes us less dependent on hard-to-find expensive GM parts.
Also, an over-current protection circuit & FET (ACS712 for example) would only add $2 or so. When mine fails - this is where I am going!

Let's encourage folks who come up with alternatives! (if they are relatively harmless)
fierobear FEB 07, 02:49 PM

quote
Originally posted by theogre:

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Larryinkc:
I have an 88 also and so far my headlight module works. If it fails my plan is to buy one of the new repro modules for 88 to 96 Corvettes. They are part # 16523917 which is the superseded part # of the original Fiero part. They are available from several sources for around $160.00.

Quick search GM list them as fitting Fiero and others...
just 1 Example: https://www.gmpartsgiant.co...module-16523917.html

Can find on Ebay, Eckler’s, etc for less money but even many GM parts dealers are Far less then TFS prices.

[/QUOTE]

$367.68. Damn.
fierosound FEB 07, 05:54 PM

quote
Originally posted by Mickey_Moose:

Brand new repro headlight modules - and - NO they are not $300:
https://www.corvettepacific...dlamp-control-88-96/




Different place, different price.
donuteater306 FEB 09, 07:04 PM
Sometimes one or both of my headlamps wouldn't raise or lower. Open the module and float the solder on all the connections. Then check the relay contacts and clean if necessary. Doing so fixed mine. You have nothing to lose.
beaumontracer SEP 05, 03:17 PM
What if one headlight pops up, but one does not? Could you not just splice the "dead" wires into the wires for the side that works and then both motors would activate?